Observation 1
Observation:
At the beginning of class Mrs. Haberlin, my CT at Board rock middle school, stood at the front of the class by the door and greeted students as they came in. Once the bell rang she prompted the students to pull out their science binders while she took attendance. One student forgot their science binder and was allowed to go to their locker, which was close by. She managed to finish attendance in seconds as the rest of the students prepared for class, after which the school’s announcements began. After the announcements the students were asked to pair up for an activity where they were asked to show the chemical equation for photosynthesis using both pictures and chemical symbols on index cards. During the activity the students worked quickly to get the answer as the teacher circled the classroom and checked their work. There was a small amount of chatter from the students as they finished and waited to be checked. Up to this point the students were reviewing. Moving onto new material, my CT asked the students to try and set up their index cards to show respiration, noting that it was the reverse of photosynthesis. After this the students took some quick notes were some students were asked to help by writing on the board. The students were given a hand out comparing respiration and photosynthesis, which they quickly completed and went over as a class. Home work was assigned and the students were given the last 3 minutes of class to get started and ask any questions they may have had.
At the beginning of period 2 she again greeted the students as they entered and again a student needed to go to their locker for their binder. This class period students continued work an a rough copy of their property poems. Each student was asked to think of an abject and write a poem about it using at least 5 different physical properties of the object. My CT started by having everyone pull out the rough copy of their poems to be checked by the teacher. The students then spread throughout the room to work individually as my CT, and I worked the room, asking students if they need someone to proof read their work. This class was a little noisier than the previous one but my CT was able to quiet the students when needed. By the end of the period many students had begun work on their final draft of their poem, which would be due Friday.
Reflection: When focusing on my teachers actions at the beginning of class I noticed she had no trouble establishing order when she needed it. She used multiple tactics to get the students to be quiet. Some tactics were used for one period and not for another. For example her first period class, which was better behaved, she simply raised her hand when she wanted silence. In period two however her methods were more vocal. She would yell out, “time out,” if voices were escalating, or she would say, “I’m waiting,” to cue the students to simmer down. As far as engaging the students at the beginning of class, the photosynthesis index card activity forced students to recall what they had recently covered while giving them an opportunity to succeed, and show the teacher what they have learned.
Observation:
At the beginning of class Mrs. Haberlin, my CT at Board rock middle school, stood at the front of the class by the door and greeted students as they came in. Once the bell rang she prompted the students to pull out their science binders while she took attendance. One student forgot their science binder and was allowed to go to their locker, which was close by. She managed to finish attendance in seconds as the rest of the students prepared for class, after which the school’s announcements began. After the announcements the students were asked to pair up for an activity where they were asked to show the chemical equation for photosynthesis using both pictures and chemical symbols on index cards. During the activity the students worked quickly to get the answer as the teacher circled the classroom and checked their work. There was a small amount of chatter from the students as they finished and waited to be checked. Up to this point the students were reviewing. Moving onto new material, my CT asked the students to try and set up their index cards to show respiration, noting that it was the reverse of photosynthesis. After this the students took some quick notes were some students were asked to help by writing on the board. The students were given a hand out comparing respiration and photosynthesis, which they quickly completed and went over as a class. Home work was assigned and the students were given the last 3 minutes of class to get started and ask any questions they may have had.
At the beginning of period 2 she again greeted the students as they entered and again a student needed to go to their locker for their binder. This class period students continued work an a rough copy of their property poems. Each student was asked to think of an abject and write a poem about it using at least 5 different physical properties of the object. My CT started by having everyone pull out the rough copy of their poems to be checked by the teacher. The students then spread throughout the room to work individually as my CT, and I worked the room, asking students if they need someone to proof read their work. This class was a little noisier than the previous one but my CT was able to quiet the students when needed. By the end of the period many students had begun work on their final draft of their poem, which would be due Friday.
Reflection: When focusing on my teachers actions at the beginning of class I noticed she had no trouble establishing order when she needed it. She used multiple tactics to get the students to be quiet. Some tactics were used for one period and not for another. For example her first period class, which was better behaved, she simply raised her hand when she wanted silence. In period two however her methods were more vocal. She would yell out, “time out,” if voices were escalating, or she would say, “I’m waiting,” to cue the students to simmer down. As far as engaging the students at the beginning of class, the photosynthesis index card activity forced students to recall what they had recently covered while giving them an opportunity to succeed, and show the teacher what they have learned.